Thursday, March 28, 2024

President Lungu commissions phase II of the Ultra-Modern Central warehouse of the Medical Stores

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President Lungu  arrives at the Commisioning of the warehouse in the company of Health Minister Dr Chitalu Chilufya, PF Deputy SG Mumbi Phiri and Lusaka Province Minister Bowman Lusambo
President Lungu arrives at the Commisioning of the warehouse in the company of Health Minister Dr Chitalu Chilufya, PF Deputy SG Mumbi Phiri and Lusaka Province Minister Bowman Lusambo

President Edgar Lungu has today commissioned phase II of the Ultra-Modern Central warehouse of the Medical Stores Limited.

The warehouse which has been put up at a total cost of over 15 million United States dollars will increase the storage capacity for the Medical Stores Limited.

Speaking during the commissioning of the warehouse in Lusaka today, President Lungu declared a zero tolerance to stock-outs of essential medicines and other pharmaceutical supplies in public health institutions.

The Head of State has since directed Minister of Finance Bwalya N’gandu to closely work with Minister of Health Chitalu Chilufya, and ensure that the procurement of medicines and medical supplies is prioritised.

President Lungu said government’s goal is to provide a user friendly health care system which ensures that essential medicines, and medical supplies are accessible and available at service delivery points, in order to meet the health needs of the people irrespective of where they are.

He said government’s focus in the next three years of the Seventh National Development Plan (7thNDP) will be to build on the gains made so far in the health sector, and to further improve the health and well-being of the people.

President Lungu said government is spending huge sums of money to ensure availability of medicines, and medical supplies in the health facilities, saying those charged with the responsibility to safeguard these, must do it with utmost care and accountability.

He said government will not tolerate pilferage of medicines, and medical supplies at the new and old facilities.

President Lungu said this situation if left unchecked, will deny the people of the much needed medicines, and medical supplies.

He further said that government will ensure the enforcement of the relevant policy, legal, and operational instruments, in order to guarantee high standards of safety, and security including efficiency throughout the supply chains.

President Lungu said this modern facility is a show of government’s unwavering commitment to fulfilling the promises made to the Zambian people who gave them a mandate to do so.

Speaking earlier, Ambassador of the European Union to Zambia and COMESA Alessandro Mariani said access to medicine means access to medical treatment and ensuring that patients receive the right treatment at the right time.

Mr Mariani said the state of the art storage and distribution facility that has been commissioned is going to significantly improve access to quality medicines for the population of Zambia.

He said the Lusaka medical store is the backbone of the medicines supply chain in Zambia, storing 80 percent of all medicines in the public sector.

Meanwhile United States Ambassador to Zambia Daniel Foote said over the last 15 years ,the US government has partnered with the Zambian government to ensure that HIV, malaria, family planning, and maternal and child health commodities reach every corner of the country.

Mr Foote said the US government has invested in the regional storage hubs, purchased transport vehicles, and trained staff in the skills necessary to manage the increasing complicates systems.

Mr Foote said this in a speech read on his behalf by Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S Embassy Baxter Bethany.

16 COMMENTS

  1. $15 million for a medical warehouse?,
    that’s seems pretty high, other than to temperature controlled environment in there, why that exorbitant amount?
    can they make these costs public domain to satisfy questions like this.
    let’s see in black and white how the structure amounted to $15 million

    • Ultra modern Medical Stores in a country where patients are sent away by hospitals to buy their own medicine? Ni ultra modern yakwisa? If you are sick nowadays you buy everything and bring it to the doctor then he tells you what to do with it.

    • Uncles – Read the article again this is why I copy and paste these things on to the thread as there are just too many lazy chaps who dont read…
      “…the US government has invested in the regional storage hubs, purchased transport vehicles, and trained staff in the skills necessary to manage the increasing complicates systems.”

      US didnt fund this particular warehouse no wonder Foote sent his junior to read his speech…our president as usual he has no shame like he did when he commisioned that $4.5m Chitotela Toll gate.

    • Ultra modern!
      I was asking 3 of friends, all white at lunch to give me example of a “Ultra modern” building.
      We all can only think of building in Sydney Australia, the hotel in Dubai.
      Then I said , in Zambia we use such buildings to store malaria and cholera medicines.

  2. What can ultra modern about a warehouse costing that much is it an Amazon type warehouse with robots …$15 million is too much ..please tell us what is modern about it? This has Chilufya the crook written all over it.

  3. You will now see alot of these facilities being commissioned at inflated costs now money has started rolling in and medicine being stocked again will be at inflated costs

  4. Zambia’s health burden largely constitute of diseases caused by poverty and living and traveling in unsanitary environments.Communicable diseases are our major problem.Rigidly enforcing public heatlth laws and bye-laws under local governments can eliminate the need for these large expensive medical storage facilities.

  5. The main point is that we have a modern structure to store our medicines that is it. Everything else is bonus and Secondary.

    • This is why you are in-debt as you are paying everything at inflated costs …all provided we have a motorway from Ndola to Lusaka that’s what matters even when its $400million overpriced. Do you know what you can do with that money?
      Wake up from your docility

  6. Which hospital dispenses medicine in Zambia? If you find Doctors they just write you prescriptions and you patients go looking for the muti.
    All because Medicine is routinely stolen from the clinics and hospitals then sold to private clinics and pharmacies

  7. Ultra modern, ultra modern,,,everytime this word is misused in our country of ULTRA MEDIOCRITY!! When one goes to check what is being called ultra modern they get shocked!! It appears the word Ultra modern or state of the art are being used to justify theft and hoodwink unsuspecting Zambians that we are getting infrastructure befitting our times at the right price when not!! Crooks like to exaggerate everything to sound advanced and desirable to their victims!! This is what these PF guys are doing!!

  8. Is it part of the President’s job description to commission things. I honestly think its a colonial way of doing things in an attempt to have a engraving with one’s name on a commissioned facility. I am sure more advanced countries have moved away from such practices. Also the idea of having dancers to see off and welcome the president at KKIA is a way to just give relatives money. The president is such a big office to be commissing everything. Next, he will commission toilets.

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